1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a ordinary drywall construction and particularly to an alternative to common wet compound treated, taped-joint gypsum drywall wherein pre-finished, gypsum wallboard panels are invisibly secured to generic framing members, such as wood or metal studs and furring. Unlike ordinary drywall, pre-finished gypsum panels have square (not tapered) edges that abut with inconspicuous joints. The advantages of using pre-finished panels include fast, clean installation, single trade responsibility and the ability to remove and salvage the panels and framing components for reuse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many of the "demountable" or "movable" wall systems utilize pre-finished wallboard panels secured with special, edge appended, rigid clip pairs holding the panels to the framing in a "tongue and groove" relationship such as those described in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,117,644 and 4,221,095, judkins U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,975 and others. Such clips are rigidized with deformed plate and tongue portions which space the panels a fixed distance from the framing and provide clearance for screw or nail fastener heads.
Unlike rigid clips, the present invention encourages controlled deflection of one clip in each pair to provide variable spacing as dictated by the thickness of different type fastener heads and the "distorted" clips retain the panel assembly in "rattle proof" tension.
The pairs are opposing identical clips formed of a single piece of resilient material, having substantially flat plate portions, tongue portions extending from said plate portions and coplanar therewith, web portions extending at a right angle from said plate portions, said web portions terminating with a wallboard impalling point portions extending in the same direction, essentially parallel to and overlying said plate portion so that the plate portions may contact the back surface of the wallboard panel while the pointed portions penetrate the wallboard panel edges.
The clips are preferably made of a spring material such as heat tempered steel, with coplanar plate and tongue portions cut from a single sheet in which central portions of the tongue material have been severed or removed to define spaced leaf spring edges hinged to fastener attachment terminal end, that may be screw or nail fastened to a framing substructure.
In practice a first series of clips, impaled along the concealed edge of a first wallboard panel, said first series of clips initially having coplanar plate and tongue portions with said terminal fastener ends mechanially secured (screwed or nailed) to a framing subsurface, said second wallboard panel having a second series of identical clips with tongue portions urged between the first wallboard panel back surface and the framing subsurface, said second wallboard panel and attached clips spaced from the subsurface by the fastener (screw or nail) head thickness, thus lifting said first wallboard panel, distorting said first series of fastened clips, which retain the wallboard panel assembly in permanent tension. The fastened clip resists the lifting and so adjusts to any fastener head thickness to minimize the space between the wallboard panels and the subsurface. This is particularly important in "Fire-Rated" assemblies where the spread of flame and smoke through the joints must be minimized. The resilient clip will even re-adjust during a fire with the calcination of the gypsum panel core. The distorted clips also exert "lock-washer" tension and prevent screw fasteners from loosening under the constant vibration present in every partition installation.
3. Object of the invention
It is an object of the invention to provide mechanical clip appendant which will invisibly secure wallboard panels in tension to ordinary substructure framing.
A particular object of this invention is to provide a building structure, such as a wall, wherein resilient fastener appendants coengageably secure wallboard panels along abutting panel edges in a tongue and groove relationship.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mechanical clip appendant which will adjust to fastener head thickness so as to minimize wallboard panel spacing from the framing subsurface.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the drawings and in this description, in which the purpose is to disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention, without placing limitations thereon .